Another post from the back of the cupboard – this one is about Euro 2012, and listening to the commentary as England took on Italy. We were in the car, driving home along an almost empty M25 on the night of the big match.

London’s high performance summer is about to begin. A Henman Hill mood carpets the capital…surprise at having got this far and anxiety about what happens next.

The weather is damp and dreadful – an oppression of rain – a familiar blanket for a public keeping its chin up, and disregarding all logistical odds. This is what Londoners understand – how to create miracles on a soggy island.